Analysis of cocaine and its adulterants in drugs for international trafficking seized by the Brazilian Federal Police.

Here, gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorous detector (GC-NPD) method was developed and validated for the quantification of cocaine and adulterants (caffeine, 4-dimethylaminoantipyrine, levamisole, lidocaine and phenacetin) in illicit samples. The method was based on direct dilution of samples in methanol, sonication for 5 min and centrifugation. After appropriate dilution, an aliquot was injected into GC-MS in order to identify the active compounds and into GC-NPD for the analytes quantification.

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) decreases inflammation and airway reactivity in a murine model of asthma.

Objective: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or ecstasy, is a synthetic drug used recreationally, mainly by young people. It has been suggested that MDMA has a Th cell skewing effect, in which Th1 cell activity is suppressed and Th2 cell activity is increased. Experimental allergic airway inflammation in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized rodents is a useful model to study Th2 response; therefore, based on the Th2 skewing effect of MDMA, we studied MDMA in a model of allergic lung inflammation in OVA-sensitized mice.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) decreases neutrophil activity and alters leukocyte distribution in bone marrow, spleen and blood.

Objective: Looking for possible neuroimmune relationships, we analyzed the effects of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) administration on neuroendocrine, neutrophil activity and leukocyte distribution in mice.

Methods: Five experiments were performed. In the first, mice were treated with MDMA (10 mg/kg) 30, 60 min and 24 h prior to blood sample collection for neutrophil activity analysis.